All parents want their children to sleep comfortably. Through the ages, parents have provided their children with comfortable bedding, pillows, and plush toys in an attempt to make their children more comfortable. In recent decades, however, the danger of such practices has become apparent. It has been discovered that soft toys and pillows create a grave hazard of suffocation, and parents are warned not to use them. In fact, parents are often told not to put anything in the crib with the infant.
Certain medical conditions, however, make it desirable to elevate the head or torso of the infant. For example, many infants have a condition where their immature gastrointestinal system allows stomach acid to back up into their esophagus, causing them severe pain. Little can be done to ease these suffering infants, other than to have a parent hold them in an elevated position as they sleep. This solution is not sustainable, and certainly doesn't help the already sleep deprived parents get any rest! The alternative—placing a pillow loosely in the crib—is not advisable because of the dangers previously described.
Some solutions have been proposed, purportedly for safely using a pillow within a crib. The safety of these solution is debatable, however, as they typically still provide access to the pillow or allow the pillow to be dislodged such that it may become an instant hazard to the infant.
While certain aspects of conventional technologies have been discussed to facilitate the present disclosure, no technical aspects are disclaimed. The claims may encompass one and/or more of the conventional technical aspects discussed herein.